Press Releases

Parish and city officials met today to finalize preparations for the local impact of Hurricane Laura.

The following is a recap of today's meeting:

• Weather permitting, sandbags will be distributed by the Parish Commission at 1701 Monty Street on Thursday, August 27, beginning at 7:30 a.m. They will continue distribution until weather halts operations. The City will not be distributing sandbags on Thursday. Over 8,000 bags have already been distributed by the parish, and 22,000 by the city.

• The Caddo Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness will be standing up their Emergency Operations Center at the 911 Building at 6 p.m. tonight for the duration of the weather emergency. The Center will be staffed around the clock by representatives of the Caddo Sheriff's Office, Shreveport Police and Fire Departments, Louisiana State Police, and Louisiana Army National Guard, among others.

• Several offices have announced closures for Thursday. The City of  Shreveport, Caddo Parish Commission, and administrative offices of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office will be closed, with only emergency personnel reporting. Also closed will be the Caddo Parish Courthouse, Shreveport City Court, and Caddo Parish Schools.

• Caddo Parish residents can expect to see the effects of Laura beginning around 7 a.m. on Thursday. The impact will increase across the metro area through the mid-afternoon. Expect windgusts in excess of 60 mph, heavy rain, and possible tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service in Shreveport.

• Expect  increased traffic on I-49 and I-20 from south Louisiana residents who are evacuating their parishes.

• Evacuees in need of shelter or non-emergency services should call 211. For emergencies, dial 911.

• SporTran will halt all transit for Thursday. Public Works will also suspend recycling, trash collection and landfill operations on Thursday and is expected to resume operations on Friday morning, weather permitting. Thursday’s scheduled trash collection will be picked up on Friday. Friday’s collection will move to Saturday. Citizens are encouraged not to put trash containers out until after the storm has passed. Everyone is encouraged to make every effort to secure garbage and recycling cans to prevent them from causing damage to property. 

• For questions about the trash schedule, please call 318-673-6300. For questions about drainage or to report a downed tree on City right of way, please call 318-673-6330 or 6331.

Please check the social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, City of Shreveport, and the Parish of Caddo for the most recent public safety information and weather updates.